Spectre: Sam Smith’s Theme Song Titled ‘Writing’s On The Wall’

The theme songs that’ve played over the opening credits sequences in every James Bond movie released to date are as famous a part of 007 cinema history as perhaps any other element. Adele took home an Oscar for her Skyfall theme song, and following her act three years later is Sam Smith – providing the theme song for Spectre, the followup to Skyfall that reunites current Bond actor Daniel Craig with director Sam Mendes and screenwriters John Logan, Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade.

Grammy-winner Smith all but confirmed that he’s performing the Spectre theme song via his Twitter account yesterday (at the time of writing this), by posting a photo of his hand with a ring boasting the Spectre organization logo. Today, the news is not just official, but Smith’s 007 tune has a proper name: “Writing’s On The Wall”.

It was previously rumored that “Writing’s On The Wall” would go on sale today, September 8th, though now Sony has confirmed that the song – which Smith co-wrote with his Grammy-winning “Stay With Me” collaborator Jimmy Napes – will be available to purchase and stream through Capitol Records later this month, on September 25th. James Bond franchise heads and Spectre producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson released the following official statement, concerning the announcement:

“Sam and Jimmy have written the most inspirational song for SPECTRE and with Sam’s extraordinary vocal performance, ‘Writing’s On The Wall’ will surely be considered one of the greatest Bond songs of all time.”

Smith also released his own “statement” on the news, via a series of tweets through his official Twitter account:

This is one of the highlights of my career. I am honoured to finally announce that I will be singing the next Bond theme song. I am so excited to be a part of this iconic British legacy and join an incredible line up of some of my biggest musical inspirations. I hope you all enjoy the song as much as I enjoyed making it.

Craig hasn’t ruled out the possibility that he will play James Bond again after Spectre, but he has also indicated that Mendes’ upcoming movie offers a thematic conclusion to the story of Craig’s 007 – as it began with Casino Royale in 2006 (nine years ago now). Either way, it sounds as though the name of Smith’s theme song is in keeping with that thematic motif; similarly, his emotional performance style is an appropriate match for the tradition of Bond theme song performers past, and ought to fit with a film where Bond once again must confront demons from his past, in the present-day.

Spectre, in turn, follows Craig’s 007 on a mission to learn more about the eponymous shadowy terrorist organization. This leads Bond to not only cross paths with troubled women – such as one Lucia Sciarra (Monica Bellucci) and Madeline Swann (Léa Seydoux) – with shared connections to Spectre, but also to confront a figure from his past (Christoph Waltz) who’s been lurking in the shadows surrounding James for years. As such, Smith may well prove to be all the more fitting a choice to compose the theme song for one of 007’s most emotionally-charged (and mournful) outings yet.